THROWBACK THURSDAYS – Vintage Print Ad for the Converse Aero-Glide

In the late 80s and 90s a lot of the sneakers that were very popular had VERY heavy ad campaigns associated with them. Some of them good and some of them bad, but for the most part they were all memorable for us as sneakerheads to remember. Internet and social media in my opinion have taken away a lot of what we had back in the days when it came to the sneaker game because we had to hunt very hard to catch a peek at certain sneakers and catch the latest ads for sneakers.

There were many sneakers that had ads campaigns and characters that made the sneaker game fun, but one stood out very vividly in the 90s…Grand Ma Ma aka Larry Johnson for the Converse Aero-Glide. Listen, I don’t care what you say about anything when it comes to this topic because seeing a 6ft 7 inch, 250 lbs deezed out black dude in a granny wig and floral dress will never be erased from your memory…EVER! The first time you saw this ad it shook you because you didn’t know if it was OK to laugh due to the fact taht Larry Johnson was one of the most dominant and feared players in the NBA…so laughing at him was pretty much a death wish. But it was funny…

I remember the first time I saw this ad I had a hard time explaining to people because NO ONE would believe that Larry Johnson and his signature gold tooth would ever put on a dress to sell shoes. Well, when I flashed the ad in front of people looked at with disbelief, but then your attention would shift to his feet…what are those? They were the Converse Aero-Glide and they were NICE! Plus…Larry Johnson had the nerve to wear them in a dress…that’s a selling point in itself! Off to Foot Locker…

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Sole Theory is a sneaker lifestyle guide that explores the social impact of the sneaker culture. Users can expect to gain insight on recent trends, historic brands and signature styles that have heavily influenced the shoe industry. Content will be driven by articles, interviews and reviews that will uncover interesting facts and stories that have rarely been told.